Hugh Stewart (classical scholar)

Hugh Stewart
Portrait of Hugh Stewart, a lieutenant colonel at the time, c. 1916–18
Born(1884-09-01)1 September 1884
Premnay, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Died21 September 1934(1934-09-21) (aged 50)
At sea, en route to England
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
New Zealand
Service / branchTerritorial Force
New Zealand Military Forces
Years of servicec. 1904–07
1914–19
RankLieutenant Colonel
Commands2nd infantry Brigade
2nd Battalion, Canterbury Infantry Regiment
Battles / wars
AwardsCompanion of the Order of St Michael and St George
Distinguished Service Order & Bar
Military Cross
Mentioned in despatches (5)
Croix de guerre (France)
Other workAuthor
Classical scholar
Historian

Hugh Stewart, CMG, DSO & Bar, MC (1 September 1884 – 21 September 1934) was an academic, soldier and historian whose work had a major impact in both England and New Zealand.

Born in Scotland, Stewart worked in Russia teaching English after completing his education. He then taught classical studies at the University of Liverpool in England and then at Canterbury College in Christchurch, New Zealand. During the First World War, he volunteered for service abroad with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. He participated in several engagements at Gallipoli and on the Western Front, and was decorated for bravery and leadership. He ended the war as a lieutenant colonel commanding a battalion of the Canterbury Infantry Regiment, having also led briefly the 2nd Infantry Brigade.

After the war, Stewart wrote a history of the New Zealand Division, which was published in 1921 and was its main reference work for several decades. He resumed his teaching career at Canterbury College but in 1926 returned to England, as a Professor of Latin at the University of Leeds. In 1929, he became the principal of University College of Nottingham. He died suddenly in 1934 while in transit to England after a holiday in New Zealand.